This is the final post our new series, Maximize Your MBA Application: 5 Tips for Succinct Essays. Follow the series on the blog or download our special report to learn the tips and tricks needed to focus on the critical and trim your essays down to the limits, without sacrificing valuable content.
You’re almost there! You can see the light at the end of the application tunnel! You’ve chosen your essay topics based on the holistic nature of the application; you’ve structured your essays and short answers in a way that highlights your best qualities and accomplishments; and you’ve polished your writing so that it gleams. Now it’s time for the final stage: editing. During the editing stage of your essays you’ll take a look at the nitty- gritty of your essays, as well as the larger picture of how the essays fit into your application.
During this process you’ll ask yourself the following ten questions:
1. Do each of my essays complement each other and the rest of the application?
2. Does each essay introduce new stories and aspects of my experiences that the other essays do not cover?
3. Do the essays complement my CV/resume/letters of recommendation? (You want the answer to be yes. Don’t waste your time and the reader’s time to merely rehash your resume in your essays – that’s what your CV/resume/letters of rec are for!)
4. Do each of my essays answer all elements of the question posed?
5. Have I spell checked each of my documents (and not just with your computer’s spell checker, but with your actual eyes and brain)?
6. Is all of my formatting consistent and accurate?
7. Is my grammar spot-on?
8. Have I read each of my essays aloud to check that they SOUND good in addition to LOOKING good?
9. Have I recruited 2-5 friends/family members/colleagues to read my essays and provide feedback?
10. Have I sought the services of professional editors?
Completed each of the above? Then you’re ready to tie it all up with a big fancy bow and
send it off to your top choice b-school (or just click “Submit”)!
This post is excerpted from the Accepted.com special report, Maximize Your MBA Application: 5 Tips for Succinct Essays. To download the entire free special report, click here.
